


The Story Job

by theron09



Category: Canterbury Tales - Geoffrey Chaucer, Leverage
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-04
Updated: 2012-09-04
Packaged: 2017-11-13 13:31:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/504039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theron09/pseuds/theron09
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A discussion about literature sparks a competition between the team, leading to an exasperated Nate, and an in-her-element Sophie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Story Job

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the What Time Is It, Mr. Ford challenge at leverageland over at livejournal. The challenge was to take a time period – I got Middle Ages – and produce something inspired by it. This is what came out of it. Something a little experimental and, in case anyone didn’t know, I don’t own Leverage or The Canterbury Tales.

It starts off as a conversation about literature and turns into something…completely different.

Nate’s not quite sure how it happens but, really, he shouldn’t be surprised – it’s not the most outrageous thing the team has done at all. He’s not in the room when it begins so he doesn’t know who actually brought up the issue of _the greatest journeys in literature_ but he doesn’t even have to ask to know that it was Sophie who first mentioned Geoffrey Chaucer. From there, it escalates.

“I don’t see why more people don’t do it now.” Sophie says, and that’s the moment where Nate starts to get worried. “Telling stories during journeys has such precedence in literature. Mary Shelley wrote Frankestein because of a holiday competition, of course, and the whole of The Canterbury Tales is just…” she trails off, as if it’s obvious how the sentence ends.

Hardison shrugs. “It isn’t like it’s hard – we tell stories all of the time.”

“Really, Hardison? You think you could tell a story better than Chaucer?”

“I think, out of all of us, I tell the best stories and-”

Hardison’s cut off as Eliot laughs. “That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all week. The only person who laughs at your stories is you.”

“Oh, yeah?” Hardison stands up. “Says you, Mr. All-My-Stories-Involve-Horses.”

Nate sighs and settles back to wait until their bickering runs out of steam but, before Eliot can retort, Sophie clears her throat and Nate realises his mistake; he should have stopped this conversation as soon as it began.

Smiling, Sophie looks at each of them and then fixes her gaze on Hardison. “If you think you tell the best stories, why don’t you prove it?” She gestures around the room at them all. “Why don’t we all tell a story and let Nate decide which is the best?”

“What? No, that’s not – no.” Even as he speaks, Nate knows there’s no way he’s really going to get out of this, not when all four of them are turning to him, expectant looks on their faces. If Eliot’s not scoffing at the idea, Nate knows he has his work cut out.

“We’re not on a journey.” He points out.

“Not _now_ we’re not.” Sophie sounds triumphant already. “But we have a job coming up in New York. And it’s not like we never travel.”

“I want to do it.” And if Parker is getting involved, too, Nate knows he doesn’t stand a chance.

~~

There’s a part of Nate that hopes they’ll forget about it but, when they all climb into the van to begin the drive towards New York, Sophie pulls out four pieces of folded paper and passes them to him.

“It’s so we can decide the order we’re telling the stories in.” She explains, as if anything about this is fair at all.

Still, it’s easier to just give in than to listen to complaining for the rest of the job so he obligingly passes out the paper at random and watches as they open it to find out the order they’re going to be speaking in.

Sophie makes a disappointed noise. “Who got number one?”`

“I did.” Eliot frowns.

“Ah, so you’re the Knight, famed for his escapades, leading the story-telling.”

“I’ll swap if you-”

“No. No swapping, that’s why we drew lots for it.”

“Look, I really don’t even know what I’m going to talk about.”

Nate feels for Eliot at that moment, he really does, because he knows what it’s like to be on the end of one of those looks.

“Eliot, you’ve had plenty of time to think about what you’re going to do. That’s no excuse.”

“Don’t you think you’re taking this a bit seriously?”

“No.”

It’s not just Sophie who replies this time, her own sentiment is echoed by Parker and Hardison and Eliot sighs.

“Fine. Just don’t go blaming me when Hardison falls asleep at the wheel.”

_There was a hitter, name of Harry-_

“Harry the hitter. Really?”

Nate shrugs as Eliot glares at him.

“Yes. Harry the hitter. Don’t interrupt me.”

_Now, Harry had a good reputation in hitter circles – he’d been working steadily for years, doing good work. He was starting to get a lot of praise, people recommending him for jobs, that sort of thing. For a while, everything was good._

_The thing was, Harry was good but he wasn’t great. He was a mid-level hitter through and through, a low risk job kind of a hitter. But his ego was bigger than his talent and, as his reputation grew, he began to take on bigger, riskier jobs. Began to mix with people way above his pay grade._

_Three years after he first hit the scene, he was hired by someone, a guy with a lot of dodgy money, to provide protection at a meet with Mor – let’s call this guy X. If Harry had been thinking straight, he’d have turned the job down, told the guy he was already booked that day and walked away. But Harry was enjoying his success a little too much and it was making him stupid so, instead of walking, he took the job._

_On the day of the meet, Harry went into it not even expecting to have to throw a punch. He definitely hadn’t expected to meet El- Eli Sprenger. Eli worked for X. When the guy who hired Harry tried to work a double-cross, things went downhill quickly and, like it always works, it was the two hitters who ended up clashing._

_Harry stood no chance. He was batting way above his league and he didn’t even realise it until it was too late; no matter how big his ego was, it couldn’t help him when he needed it. He lost his reputation, he lost his money, and he lost his self-respect._

_So, remember, no matter how good you are, there’s always going to be someone who is better than you. Know your limits, don’t get cocky, and you’ll be successful._

“I can do better than that.” Hardison doesn’t take his eyes off the road as he speaks but Nate doesn’t have to see him to know that he’s looking sure of himself.

“I liked it.” Parker shakes her head. “Besides, it’s not your turn. I picked number two.”

“That’s true.” If Nate has to listen to this, he’s going to try and make sure there’s minimum bickering involved. “Parker, are you ready to start?”

“Is everyone ready to listen?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, then.” Settling back in her seat, Parker takes a deep breath and begins.

_The world-renowned thief Parker was-_

“You can’t tell a story about yourself.”

“Eliot did. He just changed the names.”

“Fine. Change the names, then.”

“Fine. I will. _The world-renowned thief Finn was in Italy…”_

By the time they get to New York, Nate’s heard three different stories from all of them, each one getting more and more dramatic. But when Sophie turns to him and tells him to make his decision, Nate just shakes his head and begins a story of his own.


End file.
